Quickly, M23 took Goma, the third largest city in eastern Congo.  Congolese soldiers and police defected to M23 en masse. A peace deal led M23 to withdraw from Goma and, ultimately in 2013, the group retreated to Uganda. That same year, the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned M23.

The United Nations and an incestuous network of academics, human rights groups, and international organization accuse M23 of looting Congolese resources, receiving support from Rwanda and/or Uganda, and various human rights abuses. Even as the groups amplify accusations that journalists uncritically report, core evidence remains sparse or exaggerated.